Will the C8 motor be able to be worked on by home mechanic?
 

It's been a long time since I have posted but all of this mid-engine talk has made me think about the ability of being able to do a lot of the engine work myself. With the FE, it was pretty easy to work on just about any Corvette except for changing the passenger side spark plug. lol I have the scars on my hands to prove that. Will maintenance now be something that pretty much has to be done at a dealership?

And as for looks of the C8? Well from what I have seen, it looks great. But then again, I have never seen a Corvette model that I didn't like. Some more than others but always felt the love for the car.

isn't the engine very similar to the LT1? location could be an issue though

Who knows?
Had a friend who loved working on his Ferrari 348 and had the scars to prove it.
I doubt that the C8 will be shade tree mechanic friendly.

the upcoming LT2 is supposed to be very similar to the LT1 so it wont be difficult to work on. imo

Access will be key. If the fenders are high (which they appear to be), accessing the engine from the top may prove difficult. Anything on the sides will likely be inaccessible except from below.

Glad I recently purchased and installed a two post lift. I had forgotten how much of a handy tool they were and how much more enjoyable it is to work on a vehicle with one. And at sub $2k with a 9,000 lb capacity, money well spent.

I'm hoping GM makes the rear quarter panels easily removable. That would help dramatically. If you can take each side off in 15 minutes the story would become very interesting. Aftermarket will make awesome body panel designs as well.

Removable?
 

Very cool but unlikely is my bet.

Probably specialized tools will be needed is my guess, but a mechanic is a mechanic.

Not without voiding the warranty.

Beyond that, its an engine. It will be as home serviceable as any other modern engine. Access may not be the friendliest, but anyone that can afford a 65k sports car can spend $3k to have a lift installed.

1000% correct. You touch it, you own it. I expect GM to be extra critical on drive train warranties on the C8!

I worked on my Audi R8 it was a pain in the A and not easy to get to parts. As long as the car was under warranty I don’t mess with it.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...c213997dc.jpeg
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It would be neat if the whole back end hinged up, like the front end on the C4. Probably a pipe dream though.

Working on your own car does not void the warranty. Where did you come up with that?

Some stuff will be harder to get to, but there is no special skill set involved just because it’s mid engine.

I’m not jefnfk, but I believe what he (or she) is referring to is if you have engine problems, and you haven’t had the scheduled service work (oil changes, oil filter changes, etc) performed at a dealership, you then have to prove to the manufacturer you had the oil and oil filter changes, etc performed on time. If you didn’t keep your receipts, you could be refused by the manufacturer. Having service work performed at the dealership creates a paper trail that works in your benefit if Engine-related warranty work is needed.

That is not the same as voiding your warranty by working on your car.

I read it as actual ripping apart the engine type work, not basic maintenance.

And yeah, a bit of what Big Dave mentioned as well. I'm sure its not a huge deal, but if something does crap out under warranty, I feel a lot better having paid the extra $10-15 over what materials cost me for the dealer to have done the routine oil changes and such and have it documented than having to prove I did the oil changes properly myself.

As discussed before, if they put a removable access panel inside the cabin, it would make it MUCH easier to service the back of the engine.

Double edged sword with that awesome dealer work. While this story isn't Chevy, I have had similar with both my Camaro and my Suburban.

When I bought my F-250 I initially took it only to the dealer for the very reason you mentioned. I have no interest in replacing it's engine due to some idiot working on it, including me (and I used to be a mechanic). So oil changes, fuel filters, etc, they did it. Fast forward about 2 years, I'm sitting in the waiting area while they change the oil and fuel filters. The tech comes in holding the fuel filter bowl (all part of the main fuel pump, not the high pressure pump for the injectors), shows me the broken tabs and says the way that usually happens is someone overtightens the fuel bowl. Asks me to come talk to the service advisor. I get there and they start to quote how much the pump is and how much it is going to cost in labor. My reply was they better get to swapping it out under warranty. When I proved it was just them that had worked on it (they have the service history after all), they finally figured out some way to do it under warranty, but it was still a PITA for me as I had to bring the truck back later, etc. After I moved from the area, the new dealer I went to came to me about the fuel lines in the engine bay, appears the clips had been broken at some point in the past and I needed a new fuel line (fortunately, the short one). Hmmm... how could those have been broken? :-)

A Chevy tech forgot to put oil in the rear diff of my Suburban when they had it apart replacing a bearing (actually, same thing happened on my Camaro in 2002 at a different dealer in a different state). I lost an oil fill cap on the Suburban when I assume the tech just forgot to put it back on. When I used to be a mechanic at a Corvette shop, the number of goofy things I saw after people got pissed with the dealers and brought them to us.

Maintenance, I do all my own now and just keep receipts for everything. They would have a hard time denying you coverage in that case.

Sure.
Just look at first generation NSX or Ferrari's etc.
There are many engine in car services possible.
Just gotta love laying across the top of the engine for repairs. LOL.

Yes, specialty tools may be required.
Just look to the C7 automatic transmission service.

Maybe there will be a removable panel behind the seats like a Ferrari 360.
Maybe the rear bumper assembly will be fast removable.
Maybe the rear inner fender liners will be fast removable.
Maybe the undercarriage "fairings" will be fast removable.

I'd hate to think one must lower the engine from the bottom cradle and all like a Testarossa to do "anything".

Hoping the next "leak" will be the owner's manual or better the service manual.

Guess we'll all know soon enough :)